I`m here to share your pain: PM to Hyderabad blasts victims

Hyderabad: Three days after two powerful bombs rocked Dilsukhnagar area here, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday visited the blasts sites and called on the injured.

The PM praised the people of Hyderabad for maintaining calm after Thursday`s bomb attacks that killed 16 people and injured more than 100 others.

"I am here to stand in solidarity with the people of the city. We should maintain peace and calm," the Prime Minister said.
"I am happy that the people of Hyderabad have refused to be provoked by this nefarious incident," Dr Singh added.

Accompanied by Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan and Chief
Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, the PM first stopped at the Anand Tiffin Centre
in front of Konark Theatre in Dilsukhnagar.

The Chief Minister briefed him about the terror attack. He walked up to the scene of the second blast, a few meters away.

Manmohan Singh, who flew into Hyderabad in an Indian Air Force aircraft,
later met the injured at two hospitals - Yashoda and Omni.

He spoke to them and enquired from the doctors about their condition.

The Prime Minister spent about 15 minutes at Yashoda hospital and about 10 minutes in Omni hospital.

At the Yashoda Hospital, the Prime Minister assured the victims all possible help from the government. "God bless you," he told one of them.

He saw the x-ray of an injured person and spoke to doctors about the nature of his injuries. One of the victims told the Prime Minister that he was having snacks at a roadside eatery when the first bomb exploded.

Manmohan Singh also called on VRajitha, a MBA student who lost a leg in the terror attack. He asked the doctors to provide the best possible medical help to all the injured.

Kishore, another injured, sought the government`s help for securing a job. He said the Prime Minister assured him that the government would extend all possible help. The M.Tech student sustained severe injuries on his hand and head.

The Prime Minister also saw eight-year-old Priyanka. "He asked us not to have any fears and promised all assistance," said the girl`s mother who was also injured.

The Prime Minister said he was visiting the city to share the sorrow of the people.

"I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. To those who died, I send my condolences to the bereaved families."

"I have been assured by the state government that the best possible medical care is being made available to the injured," Manmohan Singh said.

The Prime Minister avoided road travel apparently due to security reasons.
After landing at the Begumpet airport at 11 am, he flew in a helicopter to Victoria Memorial School near Dilsukhnagar. He then drove about 2.5 km to reach the first blast site amid tight security.

Before returning to Delhi after his two-and-half hour visit, he held a meeting with Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan, the Chief Minister and some top police officials, who briefed him about the progress made in the investigations so far.

During the meet, Director General of Police V Dinesh Reddy briefed the PM about the progress of the investigation into the case.

The Prime Minister was told that certain "clear clues" were obtained based on footage of the closed-circuit cameras at the scene and also questioning of some terror suspects lodged in jails here.

"We are working in close coordination with the National Investigation Agency and are hopeful of cracking the case soon," the DGP was said to have told the Prime Minister.

The Chief Minister informed Dr Singh that about 3,500 closed-circuit cameras were being installed across the state capital to step up surveillance.

Two bombs exploded within a span of minutes in Hyderabad on Thursday evening, killing 16 people and injuring 117.